Meta has officially confirmed its decision to introduce a subscription plan for ad-free access to Instagram and Facebook for users in the European Union, EEA, and Switzerland. This move comes a few weeks after Meta first considered the idea, amidst regulatory pressure from the EU regarding the company's ad targeting and data gathering practices.
The subscription plan is priced at €9.99 per month for web users, while iOS and Android users will have to pay €12.99 per month. Users who opt not to subscribe can still use the services for free, but will continue to see targeted ads.
Until March 1, 2024, the initial subscription will cover all linked accounts in a user’s Accounts Center. However, from March 1, 2024, an additional fee of €6 per month for web users and €8 per month for iOS and Android users will be charged for each extra account listed in a user’s Account Center.
This seems like an insane price. I'm generally not opposed to ad-based services offering an optional subscription to remove ads, but holy shit. $13 / mo. for social media? Fuck the hell off.
There was a thread on here that I now can't find that worked out that, based on monies from advertising/number of users this price structure is indeed an insane price.
I can't find any clarification on the details of this either. Is it per service? So 10/13 euros pm for FB and another 10/13 for Insta?
And if you access either via desktop and mobile do you have to pay for both?
It's not though, were the 1%, "normal" people don't care about privacy, most don't even grasp the concept. It's the ads for them. Cambridge Analytica taught nothing.
Hah, yeah. Like others, I already use uBlock, and I don't really use Facebook any more. On the other hand, I'm worried about the social implications of not using FB and Messenger. I've been planning to move to secure messaging apps, but it almost feels like you're not a human if you don't have FB. In that regard, I found switching my email provider easier. But I'll remove my account eventually, more likely sooner than later.
If you care so much about privacy, you shouldn't use Facebook at all. But for me, Frost has made Facebook useable at least. And it works now. Once it doesn't, I'll get rid of it